A Visit to Fodele, the Village of Orange Orchards

Walking Through the Touristic Village of Fodele, the Paradise of Oranges 

 A visit to Fodele Village on a sunny day of the beginning of spring offered to us the chance to immerse ourselves into nature’s deepest miracles and secrets…

  After a cold grayish winter, we couldn’t wait to get outside for a trip. We chose Fodele, the tourist village, considered “the heaven of oranges” due to its wide and numerous orchards, also very popular with local visitors because it is not so far from Heraklion - around half an hour by car.

 So, here we are… Oranges only seem to be the song of mermaids that seduced us. While chasing images of the delightful fruits through our cameras’ lens, we realized that we are stepping inside a temple of universal love, where everything is connected and continuum.  Nourished with sunshine, the entire nature is coming to life and the divine architecture of the world becomes a multi-sensory spectacle…

 

 Still full of ripe juicy fruits, the orange blossom gardens are hosting the restless worker bees “Apis Melifera”, collecting the scented and rich flower pollen on their bodies and buzzy wings…

Watching them at work, we remember the fascinating facts about this species, especially their importance in pollinating flowers, fruits, and crops. Humanity's life depends on them so that bees have been included in myths and legends for centuries...

 Ancient Greek myths say that Zeus was born in a bee cave and was fed by bees and that Melisseus, the king of Crete, was the discoverer of honey and beekeeping. Apiculture appeared in Minoan Crete, being found in many historical and archaeological sources, and in artistic representations, in which the bee itself is revered as a messenger of divine origin, a source of abundance, health, and life.

 A red soldier bug (Spilotethus Pandurus) is enjoying the sunlight, getting warm on a stone… In front of the camera, these little creatures seem to be sort of weird aliens on earth.

 Happy birds are singing everywhere, building their nest in the raw green of reborn vegetation. The colorful flowers bring art and geometry together in their dance to the sun…

 

 The fresh air clears the mind, while the eyes are hypnotized by the playful water of a stream, sliding across the bright stones, creating interesting shapes and shades…

 

 Fodele village is notorious not only for its vast orange orchards and orange-based products in all the souvenir boutiques, but also for the old houses, little taverns, wooden bridges, forest paths, and heavenly surroundings, that enchant any visitor.  Children have their own playground like a small adventure park so families are welcome to enjoy a relaxing day in the heart of nature.

 

 Energized by the spring air and the gentle sunlight, the farm animals are joyful and funny. A billy goat is jumping around and stops just to inspect our cameras. The chickens collect everything from the ground making circles close to their proud cock-boss. The curious cat sitting on the balcony smells the perfume of the new visitors in her village. Who’s next?

 

 An old tree shows off its branches against the background of the crystal sky. With his positive energy, he represents a fresh start in life and a symbol of strength, vitality, growth, and the future. The stairway to immortality. The spiral of existence.The Tree of  Life…

 No wonder that this beautiful place was the source of inspiration for one of the most famous renaissance painters in the world – Doménikos Theotokópoulos "El Greco" whose Memorial Museum is a few kilometers up in the mountain.

 Even if it’s spring, and a little bit colder, don’t miss the sunset, once you are here! It’s the perfect place to practice meditation or to reach a contemplative state of mind and soul…